1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparel. The invention concerns, more particularly, headwear, such as a baseball cap, formed of shaped panels that impart a stretchable configuration to accommodate individuals with various head dimensions.
2. Description of Background Art
The primary elements of a standard baseball cap include a crown and visor. The crown is conventionally configured from multiple panels, also referred to as gore sections, that are sewn together to form a generally hemispherical, close-fitting covering for a head of a wearer. The visor extends in an outward direction from a front area of the crown to provide the face and eyes with shade. A wide range of materials, natural or synthetic, may be used to form a baseball cap.
The baseball cap was originally designed to prevent sunlight and rain from obscuring the vision of a baseball player. Like other specialized athletic equipment, the original baseball cap was used exclusively in the course of competition. For aesthetic purposes, the baseball cap included indicia and a color scheme consistent with the uniform of an individual team. As the popularity of baseball grew, however, non-athletes began wearing baseball caps to publicly display their support for a particular team.
Today, baseball caps continue to be used by baseball players, whether amateur or professional, for purposes of competition, but the popularity of the baseball cap has grown beyond baseball and the notion of identifying with a particular baseball team. Modern baseball caps often display the indicia of athletic teams from sports other than baseball. In addition, baseball caps may contain the indicia of corporations, places, philosophies, or individual people such as entertainers or athletes.
Baseball caps may be classified as either fitted or adjustable. Fitted baseball caps are generally manufactured in a wide range of sizes based upon a circumference of the head, with each size having fixed dimensions to accommodate an individual with corresponding head dimensions. Adjustable baseball caps, however, incorporate an adjustment system that permits a single baseball cap to accommodate individuals with various head dimensions. Accordingly, adjustable baseball caps may be manufactured with significantly fewer sizes than fitted baseball caps to accommodate size ranges rather than a particular size. Although adjustable baseball caps are generally more complex to manufacture than fitted baseball caps, the manufacturing efficiency of producing relatively few sizes reduces the overall cost of adjustable baseball caps in comparison with fitted baseball caps.
A baseball cap having a conventional style of adjustment system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,772 to Hahn. A rear portion of the baseball cap includes a cut-out area having two overlapping straps that extend from opposite sides of the cut-out area. One of the straps includes a plurality of protrusions and the other strap includes a plurality of corresponding apertures. By varying the protrusions that are received by specific apertures, the circumference of the baseball cap is adjusted. A similar adjustment system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,148 to Satterfield and incorporates portions of a hook and loop fastener that are located on opposite sides of a slit in the baseball cap.
A drawback to the baseball caps of Hahn and Satterfield relates to the aesthetic appearance of the adjustment system. The material forming the crown of fitted baseball caps extends entirely around the head. In contrast, the material forming the crown of the baseball caps of Hahn and Satterfield includes the cut-out area and slit, respectively, which breaks the continuity of the crown. Accordingly, manufacturers often incorporate an adjustment system into baseball caps that provides the appearance of a fitted baseball cap. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,774 to Park; U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,540 to Cho; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415 to Beckerman each disclose adjustable baseball caps that incorporate a stretchable material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,246 to Kronenberger discloses an adjustable baseball cap that incorporates an inflatable bladder located within material that forms the bottom of the crown to vary the effective diameter of a headband in the crown.